State (FL) firms admit to outsourcing

[ryban]

TALLAHASSEE -- A public fight over privatization has put three companies, including one of Jacksonville's largest, on the defensive regarding the election topic of offshoring jobs.

A Democratic state senator this week collected letters from Convergys, Accenture and BearingPoint, three consulting and personnel service firms he targeted to determine whether companies with state contracts are sending Florida jobs overseas.

Accenture and BearingPoint have both acknowledged to Sen. Walter "Skip" Campbell, D-Fort Lauderdale, that they are using foreign labor to meet small portions of multimillion-dollar privatization contracts with Florida. But an official at Convergys, which has a major division in Jacksonville, said his company is following a unique clause in its contract with the state that restricts work to Jacksonville and Tallahassee.

Offshoring has become a particularly potent topic during this election year, popping up frequently in Democratic candidates' stump speeches. Gov. Jeb Bush has pushed for years to privatize many state services, a practice Republicans say saves state money but Democrats decry as hurtful to middle-class families.

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http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/103004/bus_17056062.shtml

[democrat in Tallahassee]

1. that's news? we got no jobs here

[Katarina]

2. Well.....

we always have those manufacturing jobs at McDonalds to see us through. :eyes: